- Title: UNHCR's Filippo Grandi possible contender for 2019 Nobel Peace Prize
- Date: 27th September 2019
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (FILE - JUNE 13, 2018) (REUTERS) FILIPPO GRANDI TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI, SAYING: "Now, governments should actually exercise leadership, provide good responses. It's possible, it's manageable. We are not talking about unmanageable numbers moving to the rich countries. But the contrary has happened that governments have projected an image of emergency, of invasion and actually, unfortunately, many political leaders have capitalised on that to gain votes. They have built fear to build their electoral bases. And I think that this is despicable and this is irresponsible." VARIOUS OF GRANDI WALKING AND TALKING WITH UNHCR SPOKESWOMAN MOHAMMARA, LEBANON (FILE - MARCH 9, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GRANDI, WALKING THROUGH INFORMAL REFUGEE SETTLEMENT GRANDI SITTING INSIDE TENT SPEAKING WITH REFUGEES SYRIAN REFUGEES WATCHING REFUGEES STANDING AROUND IN SETTLEMENT GRANDI LEAVING THE SETTLEMENT AT THE END OF HIS VISIT BERLIN, GERMANY (FILE - APRIL 15, 2019) (REUTERS) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL AND GRANDI ARRIVING FOR STATEMENT CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "We work very closely with the UNHCR and we would like to thank everyone involved for what they do every day in hard situations that have to do with refugees." GRANDI AND MERKEL AT NEWS CONFERENCE GRANDI SEEN ON CAMERA VIEWFINDER (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI, SAYING: "Germany has also been very instrumental in Europe, in promoting the debate for better and more efficient asylum policies and fortunately both to resolve conflicts and to improve policies in Europe. Europe needs unity, so we really support the appeals, the many appeals that the Chancellor and the government of Germany have made for Europe to be more united, more strategic in tackling this complicated challenge of our times." CHACALLUTA BORDER AREA, ARICA, CHILE (FILE - JUNE 20, 2019) (REUTERS) VENEZUELAN MIGRANT CHILD WALKING / MIGRANTS SITTING NEXT TO THEIR LUGGAGE CHATTING VENEZUELAN MIGRANT HOLDING HIS BABY MIGRANTS AT BORDER SANTIAGO, CHILE (FILE - AUGUST 13, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI, SAYING: "This visit is within the context of the flow of Venezuelan migrants. More than four million Venezuelans have left the country in the last two or three years. 10% of them are in Chile. So my visit is mainly to thank Chileans and the Chilean government for having generously accepted many requests from Venezuelans who have arrived here."
- Embargoed: 11th October 2019 18:49
- Keywords: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi Rohingyas Sudan Syria syrian refugees Venezuela
- Location: SEE SCRIPT BODY FOR LOCATIONS
- City: SEE SCRIPT BODY FOR LOCATIONS
- Country: Various
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003AYG8CAV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, is among the contenders for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, for his work trying to improve conditions for refugees throughout the world.
Grandi has focused on speaking out for the Rohingyas in the Rakhine province in Myanmar, urging the de-facto head of state in Myanmar, Aung-San Suu Kyi, to act on the situation.
On a visit to Sudan, Grandi called on warring parties, regional states and the international community to look for urgent ways to find peace as he highlighted Sudan's role in hosting hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees.
He has repeatedly called for longer pauses in fighting in Syria to allow delivery of humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need.
Nigeria has been another key focus for the high commissioner, where families remain displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Before being appointed High Commissioner in 2016 by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Grandi was engaged in international cooperation for over 30 years.
He served as Commissioner-General of the U.N. Agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, from 2010 to 2014, after having been the organisation's Deputy Commissioner-General since 2005.
Prior to that, Grandi was Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Afghanistan.
The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) is also a contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
(Production: Paul Warren, Eleanor Whalley) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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